Category: Overdose and death is a failure in our system

According to the newspaper on Saturday March 28, 2015, the number of Heroin overdoses is up. Fifteen is an overwhelming number, especially in just a three-month period. In all of 2013, the 12th District Medical Examiner reported 19 heroin-related deaths in its tri-county area of Manatee, Sarasota and DeSoto. In 2012, that number was seven. Only two were reported in both 2010 and 2011. Overdoses often happen when people don’t follow up with treatment after going through detox. The closure of the many pill mills opened the methadone clinics, and with their shrinking numbers there is a rise in the use of heroin and crime associated with demand for substance. Law enforcement and good intentions from law makers presumably did not anticipate how the pain medication crackdown would have an effect on the heroin trade, now at epidemic proportions locally evident with the recent overdose numbers.
Articles also reported, The Drug Enforcement Administration issued a nationwide alert on March 18 on the dangers of fentanyl. The Schedule II narcotic that is used as an analgesic and anesthetic is 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine and 30 to 50 times more potent than heroin. It’s lethal, even in small doses, the DEA warns.
Something needs to be implemented in walk in clinics and hospitals similar to what was in place in recent “pill mill days” where in the doctor screens for addiction. This system for the doctors needs to be easily accessible and inexpensive to implement. Doctor shopping has turned to Hospital and urgent care shopping. There needs to be addiction relief clinics available to addicts and hotlines associated with these facilities because heroin addicts should not have to fear seeking help. Hotlines that educate and help people with addictions seek alternatives. Overdose and death is a failure in our system. In the meanwhile, doctors in hospital and quick care clinics should not be fined or harassed for merely doing their best to take care of their patients with the current procedural system in place.
If you are a doctor, physician’s assistant, nurse or staff in a hospital, doctor’s office or clinic and have been arrested or are under investigation, review or suspension for an incident involving a patient found to be an addict, do not wait, an experienced criminal defense attorney may make the difference, call our office for a free confidential consultation, Sarasota 941-366-3506 or Ft, Myers 239-334-8890
If you have been arrested or are under investigation for possession of a controlled substance or trafficking in methadone, fentanyl or heroin do not talk to the DEA before you talk to an experienced criminal defense lawyer. At Aiken, O’Halloran and Associates our goal is to use our experience to obtain the best possible result in your case. You need family support and help, not prison. Call Peter D Aiken in Sarasota 941-366-3506 or Sean C O’Halloran in Lee County -Fort Myers 239-334-8890 today for a free confidential consultation.Click below to see our experience and qualifications:Sarasota: Peter D Aiken or “Click Here for our Sarasota website”Fort Myers: Sean C O’Halloran or “Click Here for our Ft. Myers website”